Pits in Acrylic and Poly Resin Blanks

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JPatterson

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I hope someone out there can help me with this.

I like to turn acrylic and poly resin pens. Sometimes though after I have finished turning and sanding I will notice little pits in the blank. At first I thought it was a problem with my tool not being sharp enough. But I tried leaving the blanks proud of the bushings and sanding down the rest of the way, and I still get pits. Is this just a problem with using acrylic or what? Is there any way to avoid this problem"

Thanks

JP
 
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JP
When I first started turning acrylic I had the same problem. It was do to heat build up. Either lighten up on the touch or slow the lathe down or both. Once you have the pits in the material you need to sand though at 120 git upto ?????? (I go to 12000 mm). Good Luck.

Alan
 
I wonder if anyone has tried "wet turning", i.e. using water on the blank as you turn to help keep it cool. Obviously not something to try with most woods (though it might work with stabilized woods).
 
I am not an expert but it sounds like air bubles when casting. I believe most of the big places cast there molds in vacume to eliminate this problem. You may want to change supplier and see if that helps.
 
Thanks for all of the responses.

I think that some of it may indeed be from air bubbles (especially since some of my latest blanks have been homemade), but I think I will also try a lighter touch as well and see if that helps.
 
JP, the only time I get pits in PR or acrylic is when I'm making overly aggressive cuts. Switching to a scraper and taking very light cuts solved the problem. Also make sure your tools are VERY sharp.
 
Always wet sand all forms of plastic, including plastic stabilized woods. And wipe off the sanding slurry before proceeding to the next higher grit. You'll be happier with the results.
 
If it is, in fact, tiny air bubbles, a simple fix is to fill them with CA. After the CA cures, sand the area flush and continue with your finishing processes.
 
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